Piano-bench and cabinet.



w. B. NOBLE.

PIANO BENCH AND CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2l 1914.

1,165,200. 111611111111 Dec. 21, 1915.

coLuMBlA PLANDGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

WILLIAM B. NOBLE, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS.

PIANO-BENCH Ann CABINET.

Application filed September 21, 1914.

To all whom t mayconccm:

Be it known that 1, "WILLIAM B. NOBLE, a citizen of the United. chelle, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Benches and Cabinets, of which the following is a speci-V ication. l

The most Vsatisfactory and comfortable bench'for a person manually manipulating the keys of a piano is one having a flat top or seat disposed at a requisite height above the floor. The manipulation of `a player piano, however, which is eifected principally by the feet of theoperator working the treadles requires: a bench. having a seat higher from the floor thanv the ordinary bench and also having the seat inclined forwardly so as to bring the feet of the operator in properk position on the'pedals and also to prevent the operator from sliding away from the instrument. Y

The primary object of my invention is to provide apiano bench -which can be used as an ordinary flat top bench when the piano is hand played and which can be convertedinto .vide a bench which can a player piano bench having an inclined seat disposed at a higher elevation than the horizontal seat, thus combining in one bench the requisite of an ordinary bench and player piano bench. y

Another object of my invention is to probe converted from a flat seated bench into an inclined seated bench by a simple reversing movement of the top and which, when in either position, will afford a strong and substantial seat. v

Another object is toprovide a bench in which the top will be supported at all times during the reversing movements thereby 'obviating any danger of binding',` twisting or breaking of parts, and rendering the reversing operations easy and simple. v

A further object is to provide a piano bench which will also include a cabinet to hold'music rolls, sheet music andthe like, and so construct the cabinet and bench that the cabinetJ will be normallv closed to' eX- clude dust and dirt, but which is readily acf cessiblel from either side'of the bench.

Another object is to so construct a vbench of this character' that it can be shipped in knocked down condition and readily assembled by the purchaser, therebygreatly reducing the shipping space required andV correspondingly decreasing the cost ofshippage.

Specification of Letters Patent.

States,j residing at Ro- Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

serial No. 862,786.

To facilitate the explanation of my inven tion lhave illustrated one preferred embodiment thereof on the accompanying sheet of drawings from which when considered in connection with the following description, the invention should be readily understood.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bench embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bench taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially ,onthe line 3--3 of Fig. l. Fig; l is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views similar to Fig. Ll showing the bench top in different positions; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. Ll.

On the drawings reference characters 8 and 9 designate the end pieces or uprights of the bench. These pieces, ofcourse, may be of any preferred ornamental design and may be made of any desired length and width. The end pieces are connected together by side pieces 11 and 12, preferably fastened by screws 13, so that the parts may be assembled, the end pieces Abeing recessed on their vertical edges to receive their side pieces so that the outer faces of the sides will lie Hush with the edges of the ends as shown inFig. 1. The end pieces 8 and 9 are provided on their inner faces some distance from the lower ends Vthereof with cleats 111 and 15, respectively, and the sides 11 and 12 are provided with similar cleats 16 and 17, respectively, disposed in alinement with the end cleats 14 and 15. These cleats are adapted to support the bottom 18 of the cabinet, suitable screws 19, preferably four in number, being employed to hold the bottom in place. The cleats 21 and 22 are also mounted on the inner faces of the ends 8 and 9, respectively, substantially edges of the sides 11 and 12, and the tops of the cleats 21 and 22 are faced with strips of felt 23 or other suitable material which will permitv the cabinet top or seat 241 to l'slide thereover without marring or scratching the same.

f .lt -will be manifest that the construction thus far described provides a cabinet or compartment adapted toreceive music rolls,

piano.

` Each ofthe endvpieces is provided abo-ve l in alinement with the upper the cabinet on its inner face with a groove adapted to receive a stud or pintle 26 projecting longitudinally from the center of the seat board 24, as best shown in Fig. 8.

rllhe pintle being preferably equipped Witha base 27, secured to the end of theseat board b y screws 28. Each pintle, as shown in Fig. 8, is provided at its end With-a head, and a slotted strip of metal 29 or a plurality of strips spaced apart are secured to the ends by screws or other fastening means so as to overlie the edges of the groove 25 and prevent withdrawal of the pintle from the groove 25. This construction provides a guideway inwhich the seat board may be moved up and down vertically and rotated or reversed on its pintle.

The'ends of the seat board are provided with strips-of felt 30, Fig. 8, or other suit-V able material, so that the ends ofthe board will not scratch or mar the inner sides of the uprights when the seat boardV is being reversed. When the bench, is soconstructed, the upper ends of the groove 25 are open to permit the introduction of the pintles '2,6 therein,"and if the bench is assembled, the upper ends of the groove are closed by top V'pieces 31 and'32 which prevent the pintles from being lifted out of the grooves. The top pieces 31 and 32 are secured in position by a pluralityv of Wood screws 33.

l'In order to provide an inclined seat of the required height to be usedv as a bench With playerpianos, I have securedA upon one `face ofthe seat board 24 an auxiliary seat Y board 34 carried by a frame 35, shaped to give the required inclination to the board 34 on the main seat. Board 24is in horizontal position as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The inclined seat board 34 is shown as. only partially as long as the main seatbo'ard for the'reason that only one person sits Von the bench when operating a player piano, While two may occupy the bench to play a piano. Obviously, however, the length of the-auxiliary seat board maybe increased or diminished if desired.

When the seat isv'positioned, as shown'in Figs. l, 2, and 4 the bench is adapted to be used-as a player piano bench and the seat board 24 also serves as a cover for the cabi- If it should be desirablepto use the bench in connection with a'manually manipulated piano a horizontal seat of the required height is obtained by `simply reversing the seat board on its pintles. This reversal is eifected'by lifting the seat board in its grooves first to the position shown in Fig. 5 to permitY the lower edge thereof to sivinginwardly on the cleats 21 and 22. The. seat "is then reversed through the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. '7.v During the reversal of the seat'board* it is supported at vits lower edge Vby the :felt

covered cleats'21 and 22 so that 'there is no the cabinet may be obtained from either side the reversible seat.

My improved bench as abovel described-is of the bench'by simply lifting lone edge of Access to simple in 'constructionand cheap to manufacture, and it-Will be obviousthat it comprises bu-t eight pieces which may be knocked down and packed, into a relatively -small space for shipment. The pieces shipped comprisetheendsS and 9, the sides 11 and 12,- the bottom 18 the Seat24 carrying the auxiliary seat 34 and the ftop pieces 31 and 'In YVassembling ythe bench the sides 11 and v12 -are -first attached to lthe ends, the bottom 18 is secured inpositionythe seat board pint'les 26 'are introduced into the upper ends of thegrooves 25 and'finally the top pieces l31 and v32 are `-fastened linto -position. v-

It is believed'that my `*invention- Will be fully understoodfrom the 'foregoing Without further description Y and `it Y should 'be obvious that various modificationsin the structural details disclosed may be resorted to Without exceeding the f scope Y of the i inven'- tion.

Iclaim: '-i 1.l A'piano' bench and cabinet comprising,

a pair of end members'each-provided with a transversely extending Way vonl one ffa'ce .f

thereof and with a slotextending from-ad,-

jacent said Way to the topoftheend memguided by afslot in one.y of theend members,

and an arm-rest adapted tobeattached to the topof' each end member and to cover the open end ofthe slottherein.' v 2. In a piano bench, the combination of upright end members, aseatboard disposed 2 L intermediate the samebelovv the'top thereof and provided on one facel with arai-sed seat, each end member being provided intermediateitstop and the seat-boardwith a vertically disposed guidevvay, fv-and va'pintle -secured to eachend ofy the Vseatvboard and 'located' in the adjacent guideivayfsaid `pin- `tles being movable in said guideivay topermit zvertical #and rotativev movement of said seatboa'rd so astol positigneitheof sgfaces uppermost. v;

lbetween said end members,

3. In a piano bench, the combination of upright end members each provided at its inner side with a horizontal guideway and a vertical guideway extended above the horizontal guideway, a seat board interposed v adapted to rest upon and be guided by said horizontal guideways and provided with a raised seat on one face, and means coperating with the ends of the seat board and said guideways to maintain the seat board in central relation to the piano bench and permitting the seat board to be raised from either side and turned on said means through an arcuate path to a reversed position, the lower edge of the seat board resting upon and be'- ing guided by said horizontal ways during said reversing movement.

fl. A piano bench and cabinet, comprising a pair of upright end members, a pair of side members connecting the end members and forming therewith a rectangular casing,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the v tion between said end members and the seat board which permits either side of the seat board to be raised and swung in an arcuate path to the opposite side of the cabinet, the seat board during such movement turning on its pintles and resting on and beingV guided by the horizontal ways.

WILLIAM B. NOBLE.

yWitnesses D. E. A'rKiNsoN, JOHN F. MCCANNA.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

